Actuating means for antennas and the like



F. V. GOSLINE ACTUATING MEANS FOR ANTENNAS AND THE LIKE Filed Aug. l5, 1950 June 9, 1953 Patented June 9, 1953 ACTUATIN G MEANS FOR AN TENNAS` AND THE LIKE Frederick V. Gosline, Detroit, Mich., assigner, by

mesne assignments, to Pioneer Specialty Company, a corporation of Michigan Application August 15, 1950, Serial No. 179,569

3 Claims. 1

This invention relates to extensible and retractable radio antennas and particularly to extensible antennas and actuating mechanism therefore especially adapted to vehicular installations and in other places where actuation of the :antenna by manual or power means from a remote point is desirable.

It is an object of the present invention to provide extensible antenna actuating means which is an improvement over the disclosure of Patent No. 2,346,782 and co-pending application Serial No. 72,843, filed January 26, 1949, now Patent No. 2,580,889.

' It is another object to provide such actuating means which comprises la flexible dielectric rodlike element adapted to be driven by either manual'or power'means, and in which the actuating movement is positive in nature during both the extending and retracting operations without the necessity of forming screw threads or other irregularities of surface configuration upon the dielectric rod, or otherwise subjecting it to wearing or abrasive action.

\ It is a further object to provide an actuating means as described in which the driving means for the dielectric rod is at least partially in adjacent parallel relation therewith, and which therefore is capable of being installed in a relatively small space beneath a fender, cowl, or other body panel of an automotive vehicle or the like.

Other objects and features of novelty of the invention will be specifically pointed out or will become apparent when referring, for a better understanding of the invention, to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure l is a side View partially in cross-section of the improved antenna actuating means showing a portion of the radio antenna;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view taken along the line 2 2 of Fig. l and showing the guide passage for the dielectric actuating rod;

Fig. 3 is la cross-sectional View taken along the line 3--3 of Fig. l and showing the shape of the housing for the mechanism;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary cross-section taken along the line 4--4 of Fig. 1 showing the crosssectional shape of the retainingpulley; and

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken along the line 5-5 of Fig. 1 and showing the manner in which the dielectric rod is secured to the driving chain.

YThe antenna proper Ashown in the illustrated embodiment may be one of the conventional multisection telescopic types in common use.

The antenna is adapted to be mounted on the panel II which may comprise a fender, cowl, or other body panel of an automotive vehicle, and comprises a plurality of tubular sections I2 in telescopic relation and inner cylindrical section I3 to which the actuating means is attached. The antenna sections may have a series of upper flanges I4 and lower shoulders I5 for limiting the extended and retracted positions of the elements. The sections are held within an opening I6 in the body panel by means or" cylindrical shell Il which is rigidly mounted to the panel by means of a dome nut i8 which holds shoulder I9 of the shell upwardly against a tubular spacer 2! below the panel I I. An insulating block 22 is mounted within the cylindrical shell I'I and serves to secure the lower end of the antenna within the shell. For this purpose, a locking bolt 23 is threadably mounted in a metallic insert 24 within the insulating block and engages the lower end of outer tubular section I2. A threaded nipple 25 concentric with bolt 2S may be provided in order to receive the lead-in cable coupling nut (not shown), bolt 23 serving as the lead-in terminal.

The novel actuating mechanism of the invention is enclosed within a housing generally designated at 2G which is mounted directly below the antenna and may be secured by means (not shown) to the adjacent body panel. The elements which comprise the actuating mechanism are essentially a rod-like element 2l formed of a flexible dielectric plastic material such as nylon, :an endless looped iiexible member such as a chain 28 which functions to drive the rod 2l, a driving sprocket 29 engageable with the chain 28, and a retaining pulley 3i spaced from the driving sprocket which holds the chain in taut condition. The rod 2l is secured at one end 32 to the lower terminal of cylindrical antenna section I3, and at its other end 33 to a link of chain 28. The attaching means to the section I3 may be by a pin 34 inserted within an aperture (not designated) in the lower end of the section, and

the attaching means to chain 28 may comprisev a transverse aperture in the flexible rod through which extends cross bar 35 of one link in the chain.

The housing 26 comprises an upper portion 36 for housing the driving sprocket 29, a lower portion 31 for supporting the retaining pulley 3| and two tubular portions 38 and 439 connecting portions 3B and 3l thus forming a closed loopvwithin which the chain travels. Upper housing 36 comprises two complemental sections 4I, 43 divided together form two downwardly extending pas-v sages 44 and 45 to which tubular sections 38 and 39 are respectively connected at their upper ends.

Lower housing 31 comprises two complementaryk sections 46 and 4l supporting .a pin48 on which y is mounted the retaining pulley 3|. Theseftwo sections also form two upwardly extending'pas-v sages 49 and 5l to which are connected the lower.

terminals of tubular sections 3d and 39. The' run of the chain housed in tube 39 and aligned passages 45, is parallel to central antenna section |3 `and substantially aligned therewith when viewed in one plane, as in Fig. l, but slightly offset therefrom when viewed in a perpendicular plane as in 2.

When the antenna sections are in their retracted position, as shown in Fig. 1, the rod-like elementl and the chain 2S are in adjacent and substantially parallel relation, with the greater part of the retracted length of the rod 2l' lying inside thelloop defined by the chain. thislposition, the end 33 of the rod may lie within tubular section 38 of the housing. and the rod andchain extend downwardly through passage 49 and are retained in operative position by means of retaining pulley 3 l. periphery. of the retaining pulley is provided with a rectangular recess 52 within which the chain 28 is disposed, and the'cor of this recess in turn has a recess 53 of substantially semicircular oross section which retains the rod 2'?. It will thus be seen that the rod will be securely held in underlying relation with chain 28 at least until the rod and chain leave the retaining pulley 3 Section 4| of. upper housing 3G is provided with an angularly disposed guide passage 54 which leadsfrom passage to the iianged upper end 55 of the section 4| mounted within the lower end ofzshell. '11, passage 54 terminating directly below theicylindrical'secton |3 of the antenna. It will thus be seen, especially from Fig. 2, that as the a rodi 2'! and chain 28 leave pulley 3|, the rod will be guided by passage 54 away from its underlyingrelation `with the chain, and will extend in inclined relation to the housing.

During the operation of the device chain 28, whichiwill be always held in a suiiiciently taut condition by the relative dimensions of the parts, may be driven in either a clockwiseI or `counterclockwise .direction as shown in Fig'. 1 by the manual :or power means which is applied to shaft 42. Starting from a condition in which the antenna is fully: retracted, the chain will be driven in a counterclockwise direction, thus forcing the portion of rod 21 which is in underlying engagement with the chain Vin the same direction. The rod, although flexible, is stiff enough to push the antennarsections up to their extended positionV against the friction which is normally encountered. As the rod is driven around vretaining pulley 3| it will be fed through guide passage 54,

thus applying its full force directly beneath the cylindrical section |3. The dimensions of the elements arev such thatwhen the-.antenna is in its When in it' For this purpose, the f,

4 fully extended position the end 33 of the rod 21 will still extend far enough below guide passage 54 so that the chain and rod will not be pulled laterally with respect to one another with damaging force.

When it is desired to retract the antenna, the driving sprocket 29 willy be rotated in a clockwise direction, .l thus drawing rod 21 downwardly through passage 54 and around retaining pulley 3|. Since the end 33 of the rod is secured in underlying relation with chain 28, the proper reception of the* chain and rod within recesses 52 and 53 respectively of the retaining pulley 3| will be assured. Y

While it will be apparent that the preferred embodiment of the `invention herein disclosed is well calculated to fulfill the objects above stated it will be Vappreciated that the invention is susceptible to modification, variation and change without departing from the proper scope or fair meaning of the subjoined claims.

What is claimed is:

l. Means for longitudinally actuating an ex tensible radio vantenna or the like comprising a flexible rod-like actuating element adapted to be connected to the antenna, a looped endlesschain, one end of said rod-like element being secured to said chain and lying at leastpartly within the loop circumscribed thereby, a retaining. pulley having separate retaining portions for holding said chain and said element in adjacent parallel relation with the rodlike element lyingbetween the chain and the center of the pulley,I and a driving sprocket in spaced relation ywith said pulley and operatively engageable with said chain.

2. Means for longitudinally actuating an extensible radio antenna or the like comprising a flexible rod adapted to be connected to the antenna, an endless flexible looped member, oneend of said rod being secured to said member and lying at least partly within the loop circumscribed thereby, retaining means for holding said member and rod in adjacent parallelrelation, means engageable with said endless'member for imparting a longitudinal driving force thereto, a housing for said endless member, and a guide passage in said housing and spaced from said retaining means for guiding said rod to and from an inner portion of said endless member.

3. Means .for longitudinally actuating an ex-v tensible radio antenna or the like comprising a iiexible rod-likeactuating element adapted to be connected to the antenna, and means for imparting longitudinalA movement to said. element, said means comprising an endless flexible looped member, one end of said rod-like elementbeing` secured to saidmember, and a retaining pulley for holding said looped member and element in adjacent parallel relation, said retaining pulley having a recess for receiving said endless member, and a second recess within said first recess for receiving said rod-like element, whereby the latter element will be held in underlying relation'with respect to the endless member.

FREDERICK V. GOSLINE.

References Cited in the ille of this patent` UNITED'STATES PATENTS l Number Name f Date 849,185 Baldwin Apr. 2, 1907 1,905,539 White Apr. 25, 1933 2,276,935 Como Ma`r.'17, l1942 2,350,866'V Barth June' 6, 1944 

